Rita Duffy (Irish, b.1959) Crossroads Dancing

signed 'Rita Duffy' (lower right); further signed, titled and dated 'Crossroads Dancing 2015/ Rita Duffy' (verso) oil on linen Unframed: 122.2 x 183.2 cm. (48 x 72 1/8 in.) Works from the Collection of Frank Cohen (Lots 79-95)Provenance: With Arts Council of Ireland, 2016, where purchased by Mary and Alan Hobart Their sale; Christie's, London, The Private Collection of Mary and Alan Hobart - Pioneers of Modern British and Irish Art, 19 November 2024, lot 174, where purchased by the present owner Exhibited: Dublin, Arts Council of Ireland, The Souvenir Shop by Rita Duffy, Apr-Jun 2016, p.35 Dublin, Irish Museum of Modern Art, Championing Irish Art: The Mary and Alan Hobart Collection, Apr-Jul 2023, pp.76-77 (illustrated) Notes: Rita Duffy’s Crossroads Dancing (2015) presents a captivating and satirical exploration of cultural memory and national identity within contemporary Irish art. Executed in oil on linen, this substantial composition offers a politically charged yet deeply personal narrative steeped in the traditions of magical realism. Duffy masterfully employs a vibrant, earthy palette to ground the theatrical scene, utilising the iconic green, white, and orange of the Irish tricolour as a sweeping, dramatic backdrop for the surreal dance unfolding in the foreground. The composition is anchored by the stark, slightly awkward posturing of its central, oversized figures, who represent the artist's own parents dancing a traditional four-hand reel at their wedding in 1954. A barefoot young woman in a crisp white blouse and billowing green skirt commands the centre, flanked by two men in dark suits who step heavily around her. This central tableau is juxtaposed against a surreal, miniature world bustling at their feet; tiny musicians play the fiddle and accordion, while miniature nuns, clergy, and observers populate the lower register. The domestic intimacy of a bed on the far left contrasts sharply with the looming industrial chimneys on the right, further highlighting the disorienting, dreamlike scale of the scene. This masterful manipulation of proportion and symbol elevates the painting beyond mere biographical homage, pushing it firmly into the realm of political and social critique. By situating traditional "crossroads dancing", a historically romanticised symbol of rural Irish purity, against an industrial backdrop and under the watchful eyes of a miniature clergy, Duffy plays with the cinematic suspense of a nation caught between myth and reality. The absurdity of the miniature figures interacting with the giants injects the work with her signature dark humour, dismantling romanticised visions of Irish heritage to expose the complexities of state, church, and gender roles. Crossroads Dancing stands as a compelling work that originally featured in her acclaimed Souvenir Shop project, which examined Irish history through a subversive, feminist lens. This distinctively surreal approach to historical memory can be directly traced to Duffy’s personal artistic trajectory. Born in Belfast in 1959, Duffy grew up experiencing the profound social divisions of Northern Ireland, prompting a lifelong engagement with themes of conflict, identity, and female experience. Rather than adhering strictly to traditional realism, she developed a uniquely atmospheric oeuvre heavily influenced by magical realism, where the ordinary seamlessly intersects with the bizarre. Today, Duffy is recognised as one of Ireland’s most groundbreaking visual artists and an elected member of Aosdána. In Crossroads Dancing, this signature quality is fully realised, reflecting her enduring dedication to a personal vision that masterfully balances autobiographical reflection with the quiet theatre of the absurd.